IC Ch 8: Off to Visit the Church

[BenTheRat]

As you move some of the newspapers you do see some large rats, their bodies a good 8 inches in length, their tails almost doubling that length. They squeek and begin to run around, and disappear under the newspaper and some sound like they scurry out of the box through some unseen hole. As you move some more of the newspaper, you find the source of the smell. An arm and part of a foot, both looked like they have been chewed on by rats, and both are now crawling in maggots.

Sanity,both of you need to make a sanity check 0/d3

[Tabs]

Sanity check,Maggoty arm [dice]0[/dice]

"Uh!" exclaims Alyssa, "how awful. Vermin! You okay, Officer Donovan? This crate must be some kinda nest, and the rats have dragged the remains here. . . ." She thinks for a moment. "The body will be around I guess, which is a horrible thought. Where did the rats go to? Let's shift the crate."

[BenTheRat]

You can move the large crate and you can see a large hole in the back of the crate. Its about 4" in diameter. The rats have scurried off behind one of the other dozens of crates in here.

[Mr. Handy]

Eddie goes white as a sheet, shuddering as he looks away from the remains. "I don't know how anyone can be okay after seeing...that," he says. "But please, call me Eddie. This must be what's left of the people the cult murdered. Maybe they hid the remains in the boxes, and then the rats tunneled in to get at them."

[Tabs]

Alyssa comforts the Officer by hugging his back, leaning her chin on his shoulder and gripping his biceps. "I'm sorry, Eddie. I was way too blasé. Believe me, it is terribly shocking. She pulls out of her motherly embrace and looks around. "What do we do now?"

BenTheRat / Equipment,I thought that Alyssa would have a Sam Browne type belt with pouches containing photographic kit: spare film, flashbulbs, etc., as well as a portable camera?

[BenTheRat]

tabs,I have no problem with you having that, I'll add it to your sheet.

[Mr. Handy]

Eddie relaxes, taking a deep breath. He appreciates the contact, and he would be able to enjoy it better were the situation different. Of course, if the situation had been different, it wouldn't have happened. "It's okay," he says. "Thank you, Alyssa. I guess we'd better go through that trapdoor. Hopefully we won't find anything worse than this down there." He replaces the lid on top of the crate to cover the remains and goes over to inspect the trapdoor, checking to see if it has a locking mechanism.

[BenTheRat]

The old iron round door doesn't look locked, but as you look closer at it you see a symbol engraved on the lid.

[Tabs]

Alyssa fingers her portable Kodak with its concertina lens. "I'd record this symbol, but dare I use a flash?" She does as Eddie, checking the iron door, gently sweeping her hand over it and feeling for a lock, handle or hinges.

[BenTheRat]

There is a solid iron hand pull to lift the hatch and hinges on the other side.

[Silver Priest]

Finally working up the courage to join with the others, Norman makes his way down to the basement and sees the grizzly sight of human remains.

Spoiler:

[dice]0[/dice]
[dice]1[/dice]

It does not disturb him as much as it should. "My, how ghastly. But uh, must we go down there? Surely Eddie you can call in some backup from Boston?"

[Mr. Handy]

"Rockport is out of Boston's jurisdiction," says Eddie. "Only the county sheriff or the Massachusetts State Police could pull rank on the local cops here. Maybe the T-Men, if bootlegging were involved, but we've seen no evidence of that. Aunt Loosa, does this symbol mean anything to you? It looks like a whip and a pitchfork to me. I don't know if using a flash down here is such a good idea, Alyssa. Maybe you could just draw it."

[Tabs]

"Why, Mr. Smith, you are perspiring terribly," says Alyssa. She hands him her own silk handkerchief. You're quite right, Eddie," referring to both backup and a camera flash. She sketches the symbol in her notebook. "It does look like a whip--perhaps it means 'slavery' of some sort?"

[BenTheRat]

ooc,everyone there can make a Cthulhu Mythos check

[Tabs]

Alyssa, Cthulhu Mythos 3%[dice]0[/dice]

[Silver Priest]

"T--Thank you my dear." Norman accepts the offered handkerchief. Alyssa was so nice, and rather attractive besides. Perhaps after all this he would ask her on a date. They could go to the library and read together.

He examines the symbol, wondering if he has seen it before in any of his books.

Spoiler:

[dice]0[/dice]

[Mr. Handy]

"Makes as much sense as anything else," says Eddie with a shrug. "I don't know what else it could mean. I think we're going to have to go down there. We'll have to try to be stealthy. I don't see any lock on this thing, but someone could trap us down there just by putting something heavy on top of the trapdoor. Of course, there may be other ways in and out of there."

[Tabs]

"Think nothing of it," replies Alyssa to Norman. After he has wiped his forehead and returned her handkerchief she pockets it, making a mental note not to blow her nose before it is laundered again.

"Yes, let's go through the trapdoor. If it does have a weight placed on top of it, maybe we could all push up with the broomsticks to lift the trapdoor open?

[Mr. Handy]

"We could try," says Eddie. "I am pretty strong, but it depends on how heavy the object on top of the trapdoor is. Still, there's nothing we can do about it unless we leave some of us here to guard the door.'

[Silver Priest]

"I volunteer." Norman starts to raise his hand, but a sudden shame fills him. He had not come on this adventure to stand guard.

"On second thought, I think it, uh, best that we take a chance and stick together. There's to few of us to risk splitting up."